What else can I do with my iPad now that I've had it for six months

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

I've had the iPad for about half a year, and, now the novelty
of the thing has long worn off ... what else can I do with it?

Any suggestions?

Specifically, is there something useful that I missed below,
that *you* do, on your iPad, which is not keyboard/mouse
intensive, that I missed looking at?

Currently, I don't use the iPad Air all that much, as I have
a high-end smartphone and a high-end laptop that goes with me
everywhere anyway.

The kids play games on the iPad (e.g., I hear dumb-ways-to-die
songs all the time when it's in their hands); but I pretty much
haven't found a good practical use for it yet.

The iPad *has* replaced my Garmin GPS, while driving in unfamiliar
territory, but the lack of a second charging cable means I
generally don't use the iPad for GPS except for long trips where
I have to manually disconnect the home charger setup to bring
the non-standard cable along as a separate line item, which I
don't always remember to do. I don't want yet another cable in
my glovebox, so, it is a hindrance that it uses a cable that none
of my other equipment takes.

But, the battery lasts for hours, so, even without the cable,
about the only thing it's great (nay, fantastic) for, is GPS.

The iPad is far too klunky for pictures or video (besides, I
have "real" cameras which do a far better job anyway).

I don't SMS text, and I don't do any social networking.
I simply read & respond to my mail, and, for that, I only use
the laptop. In a dire emergency, I'll use the phone, but
99.99% of my mail can wait until I am seated at a desk
with a real keyboard in front of me, instead of the nearly
useless software keyboard that the iPad has.

Looking at my apps on the iPad, there's nothing I don't
already have on my cellphone, other than the Apple-specific
apps such as "Messages" or "Facetime", neither of which have
I ever used.

Once in a while, I forget where my phone is, and I use the
iPad to call the phone, using Hangouts/GoogleVoice, so, that's
one nice use (it's an extra free speakerphone), but I have
so many phone lines already, I don't see how adding one
more is all that useful.

I don't do calendaring (I'm retired), and I don't travel all
that much, and if I'm going to browse the web, I'm not going
to do it with a one-finger-tap software keyboard anyway, nor
do I like (or use) Safari, so, the browsing, for me, is fine
on my laptop with Firefox and a real keyboard.

Of course, I could *add* a bluetooth keyboard to the iPad,
but, that still leaves me with the sucky browsers and far
smaller screen than my laptop anyway, so, unless the iPad
does *something* the laptop can't do, anything that involves
typing is onerous on the iPad.

Certainly nobody in their right mind would *compose* documents
on an iPad if they had a laptop right next to them. I could
see people doing all sorts of things on the iPad if they
did *not* have a perfectly good laptop next to them, so,
all this is in the context of what does it do that a laptop
doesn't do.

I tried using it in the treehouse a few hundred feet behind the
house, but the iPad wifi was so sucky compared to the laptop
and phone that I gave up. I can't believe the wifi is so
weak but it's so sucky that it just about makes the thing
useless as a wifi device in the "man cave" in the woods.

I don't play games, and I don' listen to music (never have, even
in my younger days), so I never use the app store except to
download apps, which I've done. I did try dash cams, but the
problem was the mounting in a vehicle, so, I gave up on that
in favor of a bona-fide $35 permanently powered dashcam fed
with a 32GB microsd card, which loops as long as it likes
(unlike most of the dashcam apps that I had tested out).

I have Keynote, Numbers, Pages, PowerPoint, Excel, Word,
and Paper on the thing, but, I have MS Office on my laptop,
so, there's no advantage to the iPad (in fact, the need for
a separate keyboard is a distinct disadvantage in that regard).

The kids watch videos, so, that's nice as the iPad became the
portable DVD player for the kids whenever they're not playing
games on it, so, that's a *very nice* capability of the iPad.

I have iMovie, but now, the need for both a kludgey separate
bluetooth keyboard and separate mouse negates any real value
any application on the iPad has over the laptop, which is
vastly more powerful, perfectly sized screen, perfectly sized
keyboard, nice pointer (once you get used to it), and is,
really, the best of all worlds when the need is to *create*
something text or mouse intensive.

Once in a while I use the iPad for the voice recording feature,
but, again, both the laptop and the phone can do that, so it's
nothing special.

Overall, I'm pretty bored with this iPad. It didn't turn out to
be as useful as I had thought it might be. It's a great GPS,
and it's just as great as a video player and game platform for
the kids.

But, it's lackluster at just about everything else, as far as
I can see.

Is there something useful that I missed, that *you* do, on your
iPad, which is not keyboard/mouse intensive, that I missed?

[Savageduck]

On 2014-09-16 16:11:14 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> said:

> I've had the iPad for about half a year, and, now the novelty
> of the thing has long worn off ... what else can I do with it?

You are kidding aren’t you?
Otherwise this directionless query reeks of trollishness.

> Any suggestions?
>
> Specifically, is there something useful that I missed below,
> that *you* do, on your iPad, which is not keyboard/mouse
> intensive, that I missed looking at?

What are your interests?
I have some very useful photography apps installed, (The iPad makes a
great photo portfolio) along with some birding field guides. I store
PDF copies of various manuals, living in California I have an
earthquake monitoring app.
At home I use my iPad as a supplemental display to my desktop computer.
I also use it as a remote Wi-Fi keyboard &/or touch pad.
When needed I have a very useful sky guide app for star gazing.

I have access for entertainment such as streaming from Netflix, HBO GO,
CineMax GO The Smithsonian Network, and others.

Then I have several GPS/mapping/travel apps.
There are more, but that would just get tedious. You need to think
beyond equating the iPad with a laptop, it isn’t. Some of what can be
done with the iPad is going to be up to you and if you can’t make that
connection, I will give you my address and I will be more than happy to
that that piece of technology you find lackluster & useless, off your
hands.

BTW: I don’t use the iPad camera either, also because I have “real” cameras.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Your Name]

In article <2014091609591540316-***@REMOVESPAMmecom>,
Savageduck <savageduck1@{REMOVESPAM}me.com> wrote:
> On 2014-09-16 16:11:14 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
> <***@adobe.com> said:
> >
> > I've had the iPad for about half a year, and, now the novelty
> > of the thing has long worn off ... what else can I do with it?
>
> You are kidding aren't you?
> Otherwise this directionless query reeks of trollishness.

Perhaps a troll, but equally likely just another of the many people who
bought an iPad, but they had abslutely no idea *why* they wanted one
(and certainly didn't *need* one) other than the old "must have the
newset toy on the block" syndrome.

The storage spaces of many homes are full of such toys bought with no
real thought behind them (especially by those addicted to home shopping
TV shows). :-\

[dorayme]

In article <2014091609591540316-***@REMOVESPAMmecom>,
Savageduck <savageduck1@{REMOVESPAM}me.com> wrote:

> On 2014-09-16 16:11:14 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
> <***@adobe.com> said:
>
> > I've had the iPad for about half a year, and, now the novelty
> > of the thing has long worn off ... what else can I do with it?
>
> You are kidding aren’t you?
> Otherwise this directionless query reeks of trollishness.

Sounds like that to me! Anyway, it is easy to miss the forest for the
trees. The coolest fact of the matter is how it is light and portable
and that so much can be done quickly on it without getting one's sorry
ass out of the chair or bed.

You can read the paper on it in the morning, before the paper papers
even get delivered. You can get catchup shows from TV websites and
connect your iPad to the TV to watch, ditto downloaded or streamed
movies, a cable easily connects the two, the iPad turns into a
glorified Remote then.

It's not a bad portable video telephone either!

It is not that you cannot do all the things you do on the iPad with
other things, it is that it is able to do so many different things and
well, all in one elegant tablet.

--
dorayme

[George Kerby]

On 9/16/14 11:11 AM, in article lv9nf1$aou$***@speranza.aioe.org, "Juan Camilo
Blanco" <***@adobe.com> wrote:

> I've had the iPad for about half a year, and, now the novelty
> of the thing has long worn off ... what else can I do with it?
>
> Any suggestions?
>

Give it to a Charity that would put it to good use?

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lv9nf1$aou$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> Is there something useful that I missed, that *you* do, on your
> iPad, which is not keyboard/mouse intensive, that I missed?

the thing is that you prefer to lug around a laptop, prefer not to use
the on-screen keyboard, and don't use the functions that tablets excel
at (text and video chatting).

I use Numbers on the iPad a lot; it synchronizes with my iMac, so when
I enter data on the iPad, it's automatically on the computer too.

I'm sure that whatever we find the iPad useful for, you either don't do
or would rather go out of your way to do it on the computer.

[Lewis]

Okay, so one time? In band camp? Juan Camilo Blanco <***@adobe.com> was all, like:
--> Tue, 16 Sep 2014 16:11:14 +0000 (UTC) <lv9nf1$aou$***@speranza.aioe.org>
> I've had the iPad for about half a year, and, now the novelty
> of the thing has long worn off ... what else can I do with it?

*TROLL ALERT*

Back away from the Troll. Do not feed the troll.

--
'Winners never talk about glorious victories. That's because they're the
ones who see what the battlefield looks like afterwards. It's only the
losers who have glorious victories.' --Small Gods

[nospam]

In article <lv9nf1$aou$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> Certainly nobody in their right mind would *compose* documents
> on an iPad if they had a laptop right next to them. I could
> see people doing all sorts of things on the iPad if they
> did *not* have a perfectly good laptop next to them, so,
> all this is in the context of what does it do that a laptop
> doesn't do.

an ipad is more portable than a laptop so it is more likely to be with
you than a laptop.

it also does a lot of things a laptop can't do.

> I tried using it in the treehouse a few hundred feet behind the
> house, but the iPad wifi was so sucky compared to the laptop
> and phone that I gave up. I can't believe the wifi is so
> weak but it's so sucky that it just about makes the thing
> useless as a wifi device in the "man cave" in the woods.

what a bizarre test.

try a coffee shop where wifi is strong. or get the cellular version and
activate the cellular (it's optional).

[Patty Winter]

In article <160920141616348556%***@nospam.invalid>,
nospam <***@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>
>an ipad is more portable than a laptop so it is more likely to be with
>you than a laptop.

Having traveled with a MacBook for years, I was much happier taking
an iPad mini on a trip I just completed. It was perfect for my needs.

Here's what I did with it:

* Kept up with some urgent work-related mail.
* Made driving decisions on the fly in unfamiliar locations.
* Recorded tracks of where we drove.
* Found the nearest Tim Horton's restaurants. (Very important!!)
* Took photos. (Had I remembered to activate Location Services
for Camera, they even would have been geotagged...)
* Did a bit of geocaching to stretch our legs and have some fun.
* Verified my airplane reservations.
* Checked the weather forecast and realtime radar, including one night
when we were supposed to get thunderstorms. (The system actually broke
up before it quite reached us, so we got very little rain after all.)
* Spent spare time reading online news or iBooks (mostly Mark Twain)
and participating in Usenet groups and IMDb discussion boards.

All of this on a device that's big enough to see maps easily, but small
enough to fit into my purse or pants pocket. Oh, and all without cellular
data capability, although that would have been handy in a few instances
(such as using the TimmyMe app in the car). I was going to stop by a
Canadian cellphone dealer and get a SIM card, but when I found out that
both of our lodging locations had Wi-Fi, I decided not to bother, since
I mainly needed connectivity to keep on top of the aforementioned work-
related mail.

Note that I didn't even do some of the obvious things such as watching
a movie on the plane or listening to music in the car. (I actually used
my iPod shuffle with some noise-cancelling headphones to listen to music
for a while on the plane. I don't have much music on the iPad.)

I was very, very pleased with how useful the mini was on this trip.


Patty

[dorayme]

In article <5418b55f$0$36570$***@news.sonic.net>,
Patty Winter <***@wintertime.com> wrote:

> I was very, very pleased with how useful the mini was on this trip.

At first I bought the mini after agonising over mini or full air. But
I took it back within a week and swapped it (with an extra $100 thrown
in) for the full size one - figuring I would use it at base most of
the time. I'm very happy to have the bigger one for many reasons.

But you are wise to have bought the mini for tripping. I am tempted to
get another iPad, a mini for when I travel, easier and neater.
Especially easier for taking pics (the big one feels ridiculous though
it takes good pics!).

If I had my choice again, I would have bought cheapest 16 memory
just-wifi air for around the house or office and a wifi + cellular
mini with 32 memory for travelling.

--
dorayme

[Erilar]

nospam <***@nospam.invalid> wrote:
> In article <lv9nf1$aou$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
> <***@adobe.com> wrote:
>
>> Certainly nobody in their right mind would *compose* documents
>> on an iPad if they had a laptop right next to them. I could
>> see people doing all sorts of things on the iPad if they
>> did *not* have a perfectly good laptop next to them, so,
>> all this is in the context of what does it do that a laptop
>> doesn't do.
>
> an ipad is more portable than a laptop so it is more likely to be with
> you than a laptop.
>
> it also does a lot of things a laptop can't do.
>

Over time I find more and more often how true that last statement is !
Yes, there are things the laptop can do that are difficult or impossible on
the iPad(often mostly a matter of screen size difference), but the iPad Air
fits in an inside pocket in my LLBean travel purse or in my LLBean jacket,
to say nothing of weighing less. (Yes, I like LLBean, too)


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 09:59:15 -0700, Savageduck wrote:

> What are your interests?

I bought the iPad with a bonus check, and I really just had wanted
to use it for GPS and for video. The iPad Air does *both* of those
*better* than a dedicated portable device (for the most part).

However, I have yet to find *another* use for the iPad that I don't
already have more conveniently. Yes, the iPad is tiny compared to the
laptop, and yes, it lasts longer on battery.

But, that just means I can *travel* with it, but, I *already* travel
with the (admittedly larger) laptop. So, if I have both the laptop
and the iPad with me, I can't find a use for the iPad that I can't
already do better on the laptop.

> I have some very useful photography apps installed.

Admittedly, iOS has neat photo-manipulation apps, but I don't
manipulate photos. I take them. I store them. I email them.
And that's about it for photos.

> I store PDF copies of various manuals

For things like important documents, I store them on a flash stick,
which is far tinier than the iPad and doesn't require any power,
and can be as large as I like. hh

> Living in California I have an earthquake monitoring app.

Is it this one (found by googling)...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earthquake-monitoring-app/id818934072?mt=8

I tried to download it onto my iPad Air, but it didn't even show up
when I searched for "Earthquake" or "Earthquake Monitoring App".

A dozen other free apps showed up, but not that one.
Which do you use, if I may ask?

> At home I use my iPad as a supplemental display to my desktop computer.

Hhmmmhmm... I guess you use the iPad as a "second" monitor?

> I also use it as a remote Wi-Fi keyboard &/or touch pad.

> When needed I have a very useful sky guide app for star gazing.

For star gazing, I can see the iPad as being useful, because of the
form factor. The laptop, unless the screen it touch and unless it
folds flat, would be cumbersome in that circumstance.

What's a good stargazing app?
All I'd want is two things:
1. Identify what it is that I'm looking at, and,
2. Warn me about unusual events (meteor showers, eclipses, etc.).hhhh

Googling, I find the 10-best stargazing apps listed here:
iphoneness.com/ipad-apps/5-best-ipad-astronomy-apps-for-stargazing

Do you recommend one of those free ones?

> I have access for entertainment such as streaming from Netflix, HBO GO,
> CineMax GO The Smithsonian Network, and others.

As I had said, the iPad is the perfect form factor for the passive
watching of video. It's nearly perfect, especially with the small
battery. Unfortunately, because of the sucky wifi compared to my
Android phone and laptop right next to it, it's not really good
at Netflix away from the house. But inside the house, where the
sucky wifi has a better signal, it works *fantastically* as a
Netflix streamer.

> Then I have several GPS/mapping/travel apps.

Yes. All passive full-screen activities are very much almost perfect
on the iPad. For GPS, it's mostly passive, in that you look at it
for directions, but you don't have to touch it a lot (as you would
when composing documents).

So, I do agree, for passive video and GPS routing, it's *great!*

> You need to think beyond equating the iPad with a laptop, it isn’t.
It isn't even close when it comes to *creation* of documents.
Having the keyboard and large screen and pointer is everything that
the iPad isn't, even with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (which, you
must admit, is nothing but a 3-piece laptop with a tiny screen).

> Some of what can be done with the iPad is going to be up to you

I *want* the iPad to be useful!
Otherwise, I would never have bothered to ask the question.

[nospam]

In article <lvajhr$hk2$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > I store PDF copies of various manuals
>
> For things like important documents, I store them on a flash stick,
> which is far tinier than the iPad and doesn't require any power,
> and can be as large as I like. hh

hard to read them that way.

> > Living in California I have an earthquake monitoring app.
>
> Is it this one (found by googling)...
> https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earthquake-monitoring-app/id818934072?mt=8
>
> I tried to download it onto my iPad Air, but it didn't even show up
> when I searched for "Earthquake" or "Earthquake Monitoring App".

then you didn't download it.

if you downloaded it, it will show up.

> A dozen other free apps showed up, but not that one.
> Which do you use, if I may ask?
>
> > At home I use my iPad as a supplemental display to my desktop computer.
>
> Hhmmmhmm... I guess you use the iPad as a "second" monitor?

there are apps for that too.

> > I also use it as a remote Wi-Fi keyboard &/or touch pad.
>
> > When needed I have a very useful sky guide app for star gazing.
>
> For star gazing, I can see the iPad as being useful, because of the
> form factor. The laptop, unless the screen it touch and unless it
> folds flat, would be cumbersome in that circumstance.
>
> What's a good stargazing app?
> All I'd want is two things:
> 1. Identify what it is that I'm looking at, and,
> 2. Warn me about unusual events (meteor showers, eclipses, etc.).hhhh
>
> Googling, I find the 10-best stargazing apps listed here:
> iphoneness.com/ipad-apps/5-best-ipad-astronomy-apps-for-stargazing
>
> Do you recommend one of those free ones?

the better ones aren't free.

i use sky safari, which is free every once in a while.

> > I have access for entertainment such as streaming from Netflix, HBO GO,
> > CineMax GO The Smithsonian Network, and others.
>
> As I had said, the iPad is the perfect form factor for the passive
> watching of video. It's nearly perfect, especially with the small
> battery. Unfortunately, because of the sucky wifi compared to my
> Android phone and laptop right next to it, it's not really good
> at Netflix away from the house. But inside the house, where the
> sucky wifi has a better signal, it works *fantastically* as a
> Netflix streamer.

your ipad is defective or your base station is non-compliant.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:24:57 -0400, nospam wrote:

> if you downloaded it, it will show up.

My mistake.
The app didn't even show up in the App Store.

[nospam]

In article <lvb1lo$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > if you downloaded it, it will show up.
>
> My mistake.
> The app didn't even show up in the App Store.

then you could not have downloaded it.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:17 -0400, nospam wrote:

>> The app didn't even show up in the App Store.
>
> then you could not have downloaded it.

That was what I said.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 03:41:36 -0400, nospam wrote:

> you originally said you downloaded it but couldn't find it.
>
> then you said it wasn't in the app store.

I couldn't find it to download it so there is absolutely
no way I downloaded it because it wouldn't download because
it wasn't there.

You mistook what I wrote, but I may not have, in my haste,
been explicitly clear.

I *still* can't find it, so it hasn't magically appeared.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:24:57 -0400, nospam wrote:

> your ipad is defective or your base station is non-compliant.

No. The ipad wifi is sucky. They blue shirts even told me that
(in different words) at the Apple store when I mentioned how
sucky it was compared to my other devices during one of the
Apple training classes a few months ago.

[nospam]

In article <lvb1pf$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > your ipad is defective or your base station is non-compliant.
>
> No. The ipad wifi is sucky.

it is not.

> They blue shirts even told me that
> (in different words) at the Apple store when I mentioned how
> sucky it was compared to my other devices during one of the
> Apple training classes a few months ago.

bullshit they did.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:18 -0400, nospam wrote:

>> No. The ipad wifi is sucky.
>
> it is not.

It is.

[nospam]

In article <lvbbbh$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> >> No. The ipad wifi is sucky.
> >
> > it is not.
>
> It is.

it is not. there is no problem with ipad wifi.

either yours is defective (it happens) or your base station is not
fully compliant (also not that unusual) or misconfigured (most likely).

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbbbh$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:18 -0400, nospam wrote:
>
> >> No. The ipad wifi is sucky.
> >
> > it is not.
>
> It is.

Is not.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:18:57 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> Is not.

The iPad wifi is sucky, and I will try to post what the
blue shirts have to say about that after visiting the
Apple store with a recorder in my pocket.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:18 -0400, nospam wrote:

> bullshit they did.

They did.

[Your Name]

In article <lvb1pf$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:24:57 -0400, nospam wrote:
> >
> > your ipad is defective or your base station is non-compliant.
>
> No. The ipad wifi is sucky. They blue shirts even told me that
> (in different words) at the Apple store when I mentioned how
> sucky it was compared to my other devices during one of the
> Apple training classes a few months ago.

Either they weren't Apple Store employees, or they won't be for much
longer.

There's nothing wrong with the iPad's wi-fi. Most problems are traced
back to a faulty, cheap 'n' crappy, or badly placed router. You can
also have problems caused by interferrence or over-crowding of the
signal space.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:01:00 +1200, Your Name wrote:

> There's nothing wrong with the iPad's wi-fi.

You've got to be kidding.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbbcm$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:01:00 +1200, Your Name wrote:
>
> > There's nothing wrong with the iPad's wi-fi.
>
> You've got to be kidding.

He's not.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:19:34 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> He's not.

The iPad wifi *is* sucky.h

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvc5vk$3vq$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:19:34 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:
>
> > He's not.
>
> The iPad wifi *is* sucky.h

Is not.

[Savageduck]

On 2014-09-17 04:13:35 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> said:

> On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:24:57 -0400, nospam wrote:
>
>> your ipad is defective or your base station is non-compliant.
>
> No. The ipad wifi is sucky. They blue shirts even told me that
> (in different words) at the Apple store when I mentioned how
> sucky it was compared to my other devices during one of the
> Apple training classes a few months ago.

Well I guess we will have to take them out behind the store and
dispatch them with a light tap behind the ear.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvb1pf$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:24:57 -0400, nospam wrote:
>
> > your ipad is defective or your base station is non-compliant.
>
> No. The ipad wifi is sucky. They blue shirts even told me that
> (in different words) at the Apple store when I mentioned how
> sucky it was compared to my other devices during one of the
> Apple training classes a few months ago.

Yeah, sure. Tell us another

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 23:11:47 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> Yeah, sure. Tell us another

Have you ever put an iPad next to any other device using WiFi?

I have.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbbdv$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 23:11:47 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:
>
> > Yeah, sure. Tell us another
>
> Have you ever put an iPad next to any other device using WiFi?
>
> I have.

So have I.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:19:55 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> So have I.

Let's hear what the blue shirts have to say about it when
I visit them, with a recorder in my pocket, to ask them
(again) why the iPad has such sucky wifi.

[Erilar]

Juan Camilo Blanco <***@adobe.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:19:55 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:
>
>> So have I.
>
> Let's hear what the blue shirts have to say about it when
> I visit them, with a recorder in my pocket, to ask them
> (again) why the iPad has such sucky wifi.

iPad has sucky wi-fi? The place you're getting the wi-fi connection is
usually guilty of that. It can vary wildly with location and number of
other users at that location.
--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:24:57 -0400, nospam wrote:

> hard to read them that way.

I agree. It's much harder to read *any* text-rich documents
on the iPad than on a basic laptop. It's doubly so harder
to actively create text-rich documents on the iPad.

It's just not the strength of the iPad.

However, the strength of the iPad is *passive* viewing of
media-rich documents.

For that, it excels over a laptop, simply because of the
form factor. It has just enough buttons to *watch* a movie,
but it will never have the capability to create complex
material.

The *only* way to create complex material is to turn the
iPad into a 3-part laptop, and, for what purpose when you
already have a more powerful laptop.

[nospam]

In article <lvb1uc$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > hard to read them that way.
>
> I agree.

i was referring to where you said you keep documents on a usb stick,
the part which you conveniently snipped.

> It's much harder to read *any* text-rich documents
> on the iPad than on a basic laptop.

nonsense.

it's actually *easier* to read text on the ipad, largely because of the
retina display, which your 'basic laptop' does not have.

> It's doubly so harder
> to actively create text-rich documents on the iPad.

nonsense.

although if you restrict yourself to free apps you choices in creating
anything will be handicapped.

> It's just not the strength of the iPad.
>
> However, the strength of the iPad is *passive* viewing of
> media-rich documents.

it's one of its strengths, not 'the' strength.

> For that, it excels over a laptop, simply because of the
> form factor. It has just enough buttons to *watch* a movie,
> but it will never have the capability to create complex
> material.
>
> The *only* way to create complex material is to turn the
> iPad into a 3-part laptop, and, for what purpose when you
> already have a more powerful laptop.

nonsense.

there are plenty of ways to create complex material without doing that
at all.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:19 -0400, nospam wrote:

> i was referring to where you said you keep documents on a usb stick,
> the part which you conveniently snipped.

We agree. Many people keep documents on a flash stick.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:19 -0400, nospam wrote:

> it's actually *easier* to read text on the ipad, largely because of the
> retina display, which your 'basic laptop' does not have.

You must live on a different planet which has an
atmosphere which makes text look closer and larger
than it is.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:19 -0400, nospam wrote:

>
> although if you restrict yourself to free apps you choices in creating
> anything will be handicapped.

Doesn't matter what the cost of the app, silly.
The problem is size.

[nospam]

In article <lvbbgb$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> >
> > although if you restrict yourself to free apps you choices in creating
> > anything will be handicapped.
>
> Doesn't matter what the cost of the app, silly.

you keep harping on only getting free apps.

some of the best apps are not free.

> The problem is size.

of the app or the ipad?

the size of the app makes no difference unless you have a shitload of
apps.

the size of the ipad is a feature. it can fit in a jacket pocket and
weighs *much* less than a laptop does.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvb1uc$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> It's much harder to read *any* text-rich documents
> on the iPad than on a basic laptop.

Bull.

> However, the strength of the iPad is *passive* viewing of
> media-rich documents.
>
> For that, it excels over a laptop, simply because of the
> form factor.

Wow; you contradicted yourself within the same message.

[Savageduck]

On 2014-09-17 00:10:35 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> said:

> On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 09:59:15 -0700, Savageduck wrote:
>
>> What are your interests?
>
> I bought the iPad with a bonus check, and I really just had wanted
> to use it for GPS and for video. The iPad Air does *both* of those
> *better* than a dedicated portable device (for the most part).
>
> However, I have yet to find *another* use for the iPad that I don't
> already have more conveniently. Yes, the iPad is tiny compared to the
> laptop, and yes, it lasts longer on battery.
>
> But, that just means I can *travel* with it, but, I *already* travel
> with the (admittedly larger) laptop. So, if I have both the laptop
> and the iPad with me, I can't find a use for the iPad that I can't
> already do better on the laptop.

Give it time and keep an open mind.

>> I have some very useful photography apps installed.
>
> Admittedly, iOS has neat photo-manipulation apps, but I don't
> manipulate photos. I take them. I store them. I email them.
> And that's about it for photos.

Then you don’t really any big photo demands. I mostly use Photoshop
Touch and Lightroom Mobile. Lightroom Mobile requires a subscription to
the Adobe Creative Cloud, and integrates with Lightroom 5 on your
desktop.

>> I store PDF copies of various manuals
>
> For things like important documents, I store them on a flash stick,
> which is far tinier than the iPad and doesn't require any power,
> and can be as large as I like. hh

Whatever works for you.

>> Living in California I have an earthquake monitoring app.
>
> Is it this one (found by googling)...
> https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earthquake-monitoring-app/id818934072?mt=8
>
> I tried to download it onto my iPad Air, but it didn't even show up
> when I searched for "Earthquake" or "Earthquake Monitoring App".
>
> A dozen other free apps showed up, but not that one.
> Which do you use, if I may ask?

I have a few installed
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quakefeed-earthquake-map-alerts/id403037266?mt=8>
http://quakeapp.com

If

I use a browser I just go straight to USGS:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov

>> At home I use my iPad as a supplemental display to my desktop computer.
>
> Hhmmmhmm... I guess you use the iPad as a "second" monitor?

Yup! Whenever I need to:
I use display Pad
<http://displaypadapp.com>

there are also:
<http://www.avatron.com/applications/air-display/?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=AD&utm_campaign=button>
or
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/splashtop-extended-wireless/id765790884?mt=8>


I

>> also use it as a remote Wi-Fi keyboard &/or touch pad.

<http://www.airkeyboardapp.com>

>> When needed I have a very useful sky guide app for star gazing.
>
> For star gazing, I can see the iPad as being useful, because of the
> form factor. The laptop, unless the screen it touch and unless it
> folds flat, would be cumbersome in that circumstance.
>
> What's a good stargazing app?
> All I'd want is two things:
> 1. Identify what it is that I'm looking at, and,
> 2. Warn me about unusual events (meteor showers, eclipses, etc.).hhhh
>
> Googling, I find the 10-best stargazing apps listed here:
> iphoneness.com/ipad-apps/5-best-ipad-astronomy-apps-for-stargazing
>
> Do you recommend one of those free ones?

If they are free download and try them if one suits you use it of
upgrade. If not just delete it.

Sky Guide is not free, but worth every cent of the $1.99:
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sky-guide-view-stars-night/id576588894?mt=8>

>> I have access for entertainment such as streaming from Netflix, HBO GO,
>> CineMax GO The Smithsonian Network, and others.
>
> As I had said, the iPad is the perfect form factor for the passive
> watching of video. It's nearly perfect, especially with the small
> battery. Unfortunately, because of the sucky wifi compared to my
> Android phone and laptop right next to it, it's not really good
> at Netflix away from the house. But inside the house, where the
> sucky wifi has a better signal, it works *fantastically* as a
> Netflix streamer.

Get a better Wi-Fi router, or get a booster. There is nothing wrong
with Wi-Fi on the iPad.

>> Then I have several GPS/mapping/travel apps.
>
> Yes. All passive full-screen activities are very much almost perfect
> on the iPad. For GPS, it's mostly passive, in that you look at it
> for directions, but you don't have to touch it a lot (as you would
> when composing documents).
>
> So, I do agree, for passive video and GPS routing, it's *great!*
>
>> You need to think beyond equating the iPad with a laptop, it isn’t.
> It isn't even close when it comes to *creation* of documents.
> Having the keyboard and large screen and pointer is everything that
> the iPad isn't, even with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (which, you
> must admit, is nothing but a 3-piece laptop with a tiny screen).
>
>> Some of what can be done with the iPad is going to be up to you
>
> I *want* the iPad to be useful!
> Otherwise, I would never have bothered to ask the question.


--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 09:39:47 +1200, Your Name wrote:

> Perhaps a troll, but equally likely just another of the many people who
> bought an iPad, but they had abslutely no idea *why* they wanted one
> (and certainly didn't *need* one) other than the old "must have the
> newset toy on the block" syndrome.

I could be a troll, I guess, but, I really *want* the iPad to be useful.

I find the iPad *very* useful for passive viewing of full-screen apps,
such as watching video and GPS routing. In fact, the iPad is nearly
perfect for those two passive activities which don't require keyboard
or mouse input, and which have really large buttons (and not tiny text
as a word processor, for example, would have).

Additionally, Mr. SavageDuck suggested an Astronomy app, which, if the
database is already downloaded, would be another almost perfect passive
use of the iPad's form factor. If the app requires Internet access, that
would be OK since I have cellular, but, if it is data intensive (such
as Netflix is), then it's useless because my iPad must have a problem
with its wifi because every other device I have works fine in my
treehouse only a few hundred feet behind the house, but the iPad has
no signal whatsoever, at both my guest 5Ghz and my guest 2.4Ghz AP.

Do you use any particular astronomy app?

> The storage spaces of many homes are full of such toys bought with no
> real thought behind them

I do agree that I bought the iPad on a whim (I was flush with cash
at that time). I was hoping it would replace the laptop, but, it
is so far from being able to compose anything that it will never
replace the laptop unless I build it into a 3-piece laptop, which
is crazy when you think about it.

Mr. SavageDuck also suggested an Earthquake app, but, I don't see
how that is any different than what it would be on my phone, which
is more likely to be with me and whose battery will last even
longer than the iPad.

He also suggested photography apps, but, all I do with photos is
take them with my camera, and then pop the flash card into my
laptop for viewing and storage onto a separate USB hard drive.

I know the iPad has nice photo editing apps, but, the iPad is
really no good at all for creation, simply because of the lack
of mouse and keyboard, and, if you add them, you may as well
be on a bigger faster more powerful PC.

[nospam]

In article <lvak3g$ifc$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> I do agree that I bought the iPad on a whim (I was flush with cash
> at that time). I was hoping it would replace the laptop, but, it
> is so far from being able to compose anything that it will never
> replace the laptop unless I build it into a 3-piece laptop, which
> is crazy when you think about it.

it is not intended to replace a laptop.

it complements a laptop.

there's a lot of overlap between the two (email, web surfing, etc.) but
the ipad can do things a laptop can't and a laptop can do things an
ipad can't.

pick the best tool for the job.

> Mr. SavageDuck also suggested an Earthquake app, but, I don't see
> how that is any different than what it would be on my phone, which
> is more likely to be with me and whose battery will last even
> longer than the iPad.

that works too.

>
> I know the iPad has nice photo editing apps, but, the iPad is
> really no good at all for creation, simply because of the lack
> of mouse and keyboard, and, if you add them, you may as well
> be on a bigger faster more powerful PC.

it's actually very good for creation. a bluetooth keyboard can be added
for text and the entire package is still more portable than most
laptops.

[Your Name]

In article <lvak3g$ifc$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:
>
> I was hoping it would replace the laptop, but, it is so far from
> being able to compose anything that it will never replace the
> laptop unless I build it into a 3-piece laptop, which is crazy
> when you think about it.
>
> I know the iPad has nice photo editing apps, but, the iPad is
> really no good at all for creation, simply because of the lack
> of mouse and keyboard, and, if you add them, you may as well
> be on a bigger faster more powerful PC.

A tablet isn't meant to replace a laptop ...yet. You may need a
keyboard (if the on-screen one isn't good enough) for lots of typing,
and many of those double as a cover when the iPad isn't in use or being
carried around.

There is no mouse for the iPad, and since there's no on-screen cursor
to control, it would be pointless (literally) anyway. Apple built the
iPad and iOS to be finger controlled, unlike Microsoft's mixed up and
messed up attrocity of an OS which doesn't really work on either a
tablet or a desktop computer.

As for creation, there are thousands of apps on the App Store for
creating all sorts of things. It just depends on what you want to
create: music, movies, documents, presentations, etc.

[Savageduck]

On 2014-09-17 00:20:00 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> said:
<<Le Snip>>

> I know the iPad has nice photo editing apps, but, the iPad is
> really no good at all for creation, simply because of the lack
> of mouse and keyboard, and, if you add them, you may as well
> be on a bigger faster more powerful PC.

Then you haven't seen just how creative you can be with an iPad with
just a finger, or stylus.
I give you ArtStudio.
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/artstudio-for-ipad-draw-paint/id364017607?mt=8>

...and

in action:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOOyL_2zE7g>

--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 19:18:53 -0700, Savageduck wrote:

> I give you ArtStudio.

I do understand what you're intimating, which is that one *can* create
decent graphics with a $5 app on an iPad, but, really, I'll do my
creation on a laptop, where, at the very least, the *compute* power
far exceeds anything that an iPad can match.

[nospam]

In article <lvb23q$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > I give you ArtStudio.
>
> I do understand what you're intimating, which is that one *can* create
> decent graphics with a $5 app on an iPad, but, really, I'll do my
> creation on a laptop, where, at the very least, the *compute* power
> far exceeds anything that an iPad can match.

for now.

[Savageduck]

On 2014-09-17 04:19:06 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> said:

> On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 19:18:53 -0700, Savageduck wrote:
>
>> I give you ArtStudio.
>
> I do understand what you're intimating, which is that one *can* create
> decent graphics with a $5 app on an iPad, but, really, I'll do my
> creation on a laptop, where, at the very least, the *compute* power
> far exceeds anything that an iPad can match.

Oh! well!. I tried.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:34:16 +1200, Your Name wrote:

> A tablet isn't meant to replace a laptop ...yet.

I can't agree with you more.

> You may need a keyboard (if the on-screen one isn't good enough)

May? You *may* need a keyboard?
Anyone who types with 10 fingers *must* have a keyboard.
As, anyone who pecks with a few fingers, isn't serious.

But, once you add a keyboard & mouse, you just made yourself a lousy
3-part laptop, for a lot more money than a good single-piece laptop
would cost, and at vastly lower compute power & less display area.

> There is no mouse for the iPad
Oh. I see. So that makes it even less of a laptop.
Let's go back to the opening sentence, which we both agree upon:
A tablet isn't meant to replace a laptop.

> Apple built the iPad and iOS to be finger controlled,
> unlike Microsoft's mixed up and messed up attrocity of an
> OS which doesn't really work on either a tablet or a
> desktop computer.

Nor on a phone.

> As for creation, there are thousands of apps on the App Store for
> creating all sorts of things. It just depends on what you want to
> create: music, movies, documents, presentations, etc.

Maybe you missed my point that *text-rich* creation is the main problem.
The secondary problem is creation that requires fine motor control, but,
I don't do much (or any) of that. I do text-rich documents.

And, for that, a "real" keyboard is required, and if I am to add a big
full-sized keyboard to the iPad, I may as well use my existing laptop
which has far more compute power, far more disk space, far better
Internet access, far more available programs, etc.

It all boils down to your first sentence:
A tablet isn't meant to replace a laptop.

All I'm asking is what else I can do with it, since I'm not going to
be using it to replace anything which is better done on the laptop?

[Your Name]

In article <lvb2ea$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:34:16 +1200, Your Name wrote:
>
> > A tablet isn't meant to replace a laptop ...yet.
>
> I can't agree with you more.
>
> > You may need a keyboard (if the on-screen one isn't good enough)
>
> May? You *may* need a keyboard?
> Anyone who types with 10 fingers *must* have a keyboard.
> As, anyone who pecks with a few fingers, isn't serious.

It depends on the inidiviual, how much they like the on-screen
keyboard, and how much they type.



> But, once you add a keyboard & mouse, you just made yourself a lousy
> 3-part laptop, for a lot more money than a good single-piece laptop
> would cost, and at vastly lower compute power & less display area.
>
> > There is no mouse for the iPad
>
> Oh. I see. So that makes it even less of a laptop.
> Let's go back to the opening sentence, which we both agree upon:
> A tablet isn't meant to replace a laptop.

If the iPad was meant to replace the laptop, then Apple wouldn't still
be making laptops.




> > As for creation, there are thousands of apps on the App Store for
> > creating all sorts of things. It just depends on what you want to
> > create: music, movies, documents, presentations, etc.
>
> Maybe you missed my point that *text-rich* creation is the main problem.
> The secondary problem is creation that requires fine motor control, but,
> I don't do much (or any) of that. I do text-rich documents.

Pages is likely the best option, but there are others.



> And, for that, a "real" keyboard is required, and if I am to add a big
> full-sized keyboard to the iPad,

Get an iPad keyboard cover. Logitech makes a couple of good ones, as do
a couple of other companies.



> I may as well use my existing laptop
> which has far more compute power, far more disk space, far better
> Internet access, far more available programs, etc.
>
> It all boils down to your first sentence:
> A tablet isn't meant to replace a laptop.
>
> All I'm asking is what else I can do with it, since I'm not going to
> be using it to replace anything which is better done on the laptop?

The iPad can do numerous things ... the problem is that you don't
really want to do any of them and prefer using a laptop. That's fine
and your choice, but whinning on about it in here isn't going to make
the slightest difference.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 16:58:35 +1200, Your Name wrote:

> It depends on the inidiviual, how much they like the on-screen
> keyboard, and how much they type.

That's what I said. Text-intensive creation is ridiculously
difficult on an iPad without a traveling keyboard, as
compared to a laptop or desktop, both of which have static
keyboards.

The only things the iPad is good for are those things, such
as watching movies or GPS routing, which are *not* text
intensive.

Once you start adding keyboards to an iPad, you start marrying
into Rube Goldberg's family, when compared to a powerful laptop.

[Your Name]

In article <lvbaud$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 16:58:35 +1200, Your Name wrote:
> >
> > It depends on the inidiviual, how much they like the on-screen
> > keyboard, and how much they type.
>
> That's what I said. Text-intensive creation is ridiculously
> difficult on an iPad without a traveling keyboard, as
> compared to a laptop or desktop, both of which have static
> keyboards.

Not for everyone it isn't.



> The only things the iPad is good for are those things, such
> as watching movies or GPS routing, which are *not* text
> intensive.

Absolute bollocks.



> Once you start adding keyboards to an iPad, you start marrying
> into Rube Goldberg's family, when compared to a powerful laptop.

Looks like another whinyl little troll heading for the killfile. :-\

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 19:03:34 +1200, Your Name wrote:

>> That's what I said. Text-intensive creation is ridiculously
>> difficult on an iPad without a traveling keyboard, as
>> compared to a laptop or desktop, both of which have static
>> keyboards.
>
> Not for everyone it isn't.

Let's assume you know what you're talking about.
And, let's also assume you're *not* using a keyboard, because
we already stated the futility of adding a keyboard to an iPad.

Now, given you have this little iPad in front of you, and it has
this little on-screen keyboard on about half the screen with the
text you're typing on the other have of the screen, and, you
are handicapped like you can't believe because you can't type
like you normally do, but you have to use a couple of your best
fingers only ...

Given that ...

How is *anyone* going to be efficient creating text-intensive
documents on the iPad?

I maintain that it is humanly impossible, when you compare that
person's output to a similar person on a laptop.

So, if you know something the rest of the world doesn't know,
please speak up now, because what you said makes no sense to
logical people.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbchp$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> Now, given you have this little iPad in front of you, and it has
> this little on-screen keyboard on about half the screen

It's not that little, and the onscreen keyboard takes up less than a
quarter of the screen.

My advice to you is to give your iPad to your children, who apparently
understand how to use it, and get yourself a 17" laptop computer.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:10:35 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

>
> My advice to you is to give your iPad to your children, who apparently
> understand how to use it, and get yourself a 17" laptop computer.

That's the entire point of this thread!
I already have a laptop, and an iPad.
I use the iPad for what it's good for.
It's great for highly *passive* activities (such as watching movies).
It's terrible for text-intensive activities (such as writing documents).

These faults and benefits have nothing, per se, to do with the
fact it's an iPad. They have to do with the form factor of all
tablets.

It's not something that is fixable.

But, what I was looking for were *other* passive uses for the iPad
than watching videos and mapping applications.

That was the question.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvc5lk$3vq$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > My advice to you is to give your iPad to your children, who apparently
> > understand how to use it, and get yourself a 17" laptop computer.
>
> That's the entire point of this thread!

We agree; the point of this thread is that a tablet is not for *you*;
*you* prefer a laptop. Keep in mind that you are not everybody, an not
everyone is you.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbaud$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > It depends on the inidiviual, how much they like the on-screen
> > keyboard, and how much they type.
>
> That's what I said. Text-intensive creation is ridiculously
> difficult on an iPad without a traveling keyboard, as
> compared to a laptop or desktop, both of which have static
> keyboards.

For you, but not for many others. I'm not saying that it's equal to a
physical keyboard; I'm saying that it is not "ridiculously difficult"
compared to a physical keyboard for many people.

But why single out the iPad? It's true of all other makes and models
of tablets.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:07:34 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> For you, but not for many others. I'm not saying that it's equal to a
> physical keyboard; I'm saying that it is not "ridiculously difficult"
> compared to a physical keyboard for many people.

I can type at something like 30 to 40 wpm without looking at the
keyboard. The only time I need to look at the keyboard is for
the numbers, which I never had learned when I took typing at
the adult school about twenty years ago.

If I am to type on an iPad, I would have to use fewer than
10 fingers, which in and of itself, would slow me down.

Then there's the problem of tactile sense, which would slow
me down further.

And, a *good* typist can type twice as fast as I can.

Either way, typing on a tablet (it has nothing whatsoever to
do with the fact it's an iPad) is ridiculously slower than
typing with a bona-fide keyboard.

Anyone who says otherwise is a crackpot.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvc5h7$3vq$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > For you, but not for many others. I'm not saying that it's equal to a
> > physical keyboard; I'm saying that it is not "ridiculously difficult"
> > compared to a physical keyboard for many people.
>
> I can type at something like 30 to 40 wpm without looking at the
> keyboard.

Whoop de doo! There is nothing inherently wrong with looking at the
keyboard. BTW, I don't look at the keyboard when I type on my
computer, but it's nothing to boast or brag about.

> The only time I need to look at the keyboard is for
> the numbers, which I never had learned when I took typing at
> the adult school about twenty years ago.

I don't have to look when I type numbers, and I learned to type (on a
manual typewriter) more than fifty years ago.

> Either way, typing on a tablet (it has nothing whatsoever to
> do with the fact it's an iPad) is ridiculously slower than
> typing with a bona-fide keyboard.
>
> Anyone who says otherwise is a crackpot.

Or knows how to type on a tablet better than you do. Hey, but your
mind is made up, and anyone who disagrees with you is a crackpot.

As I wrote in an earlier message, give your iPad to your kids and get a
17" laptop for yourself.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:25:00 -0400, nospam wrote:

> it is not intended to replace a laptop.
We agree.

> it complements a laptop.
I'm not sure how.

> there's a lot of overlap between the two (email, web surfing, etc.) but
> the ipad can do things a laptop can't and a laptop can do things an ipad
> can't.

Yes. The iPad is phenomenal for *passive* large-screen big-button
activities, such as watching offline video or watching video when
very close to the access point, or GPS activities such as mapping
using the cellular signal.

> pick the best tool for the job.

That's why I'm asking!

> it's actually very good for creation. a bluetooth keyboard can be added
> for text and the entire package is still more portable than most
> laptops.

Seems to me that a full-sized bluetooth keyboard is huge compared
to the iPad, and that a decent laptop isn't much larger, and certainly
way more powerful when it comes to graphic creation.

Luckily, I only create text-rich documents such as Microsoft Word and
Excel spreadsheets, but, I wouldn't dream of doing them on the iPad
simply because the iPad is sucky at text-rich things.

If I'm going to add a bluetooth keyboard, and not even get the benefit
of a mouse, I'm not going to even try to turn an iPad into a laptop,
because it's futile.

That's why asked what I could do with the iPad that I haven't already
done.

[nospam]

In article <lvb2on$be4$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > it is not intended to replace a laptop.
> We agree.
>
> > it complements a laptop.
> I'm not sure how.

many ways.

> > there's a lot of overlap between the two (email, web surfing, etc.) but
> > the ipad can do things a laptop can't and a laptop can do things an ipad
> > can't.
>
> Yes. The iPad is phenomenal for *passive* large-screen big-button
> activities, such as watching offline video or watching video when
> very close to the access point, or GPS activities such as mapping
> using the cellular signal.

it's much more than that.

> > pick the best tool for the job.
>
> That's why I'm asking!

no you're not. you're trolling again, trying to find justification for
your decisions.

> > it's actually very good for creation. a bluetooth keyboard can be added
> > for text and the entire package is still more portable than most
> > laptops.
>
> Seems to me that a full-sized bluetooth keyboard is huge compared
> to the iPad, and that a decent laptop isn't much larger, and certainly
> way more powerful when it comes to graphic creation.

bluetooth keyboards come in all shapes and sizes.

i have a folding bluetooth keyboard that fits in my back pocket and
unfolds into a nearly full size keyboard.

there are also ipad keyboard cases that double as a front cover.

an ipad and the keyboard fit in a jacket pocket.

> Luckily, I only create text-rich documents such as Microsoft Word and
> Excel spreadsheets, but, I wouldn't dream of doing them on the iPad
> simply because the iPad is sucky at text-rich things.

both word and excel exist on the ipad.

there is also a shitload more that one can do other than word/excel.

> If I'm going to add a bluetooth keyboard, and not even get the benefit
> of a mouse, I'm not going to even try to turn an iPad into a laptop,
> because it's futile.

trying to make an ipad be a laptop is going to fail.

using the ipad for what it's good at, which a laptop could never do, is
going to succeed.

> That's why asked what I could do with the iPad that I haven't already
> done.

plenty of examples were given.

the stargazing apps are a great example. hold the ipad up to the sky
and it shows you what you're looking at, moving as you do. no way you
can do that with a laptop.

the only limitation of the ipad is the imagination of the user.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:23 -0400, nospam wrote:

> both word and excel exist on the ipad.

You seriously need help if you really believe that is
any answer to the problem of text creation sans keyboard
and sans any decent sized screen.

And if you're going to *add* a monitor and keyboard, then,
you're seriously going to have to consider why an iPad
when an equally priced laptop to the Rube Goldberg
arrangement you propose.

Neither solution makes any sense to someone who is thinking
logically.

[Your Name]

In article <lvbb32$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:23 -0400, nospam wrote:
>
> > both word and excel exist on the ipad.
>
> You seriously need help if you really believe that is
> any answer to the problem of text creation sans keyboard
> and sans any decent sized screen.
>
> And if you're going to *add* a monitor and keyboard, then,
> you're seriously going to have to consider why an iPad
> when an equally priced laptop to the Rube Goldberg
> arrangement you propose.
>
> Neither solution makes any sense to someone who is thinking
> logically.

Yep, another anti-Apple nutter troll goes in the killfile. :-\

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 19:04:59 +1200, Your Name wrote:

> Yep, another anti-Apple nutter troll goes in the killfile. :-\

While that is probably the statement you make whenever you're
boxed into a logical corner and you see no way out, you must
agree that Android tablets suffer the same fate.

The problem has *nothing* to do with Apple.

You can't possible garner anywhere near the text output on
a tablet that you can on a laptop, simply because the lack
of a keyboard and the lack of half your screen make intensive
text creation impossible.

If you say it's even possible, then you must have already broken
the bounds of physics, because it has nothing to do with Apple
or with Android. It has to do with the fact you have no keyboard
and you have almost no screen since it starts small and then
divides what little it has between the keyboard & the app.

[nospam]

In article <lvbcor$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> You can't possible garner anywhere near the text output on
> a tablet that you can on a laptop, simply because the lack
> of a keyboard and the lack of half your screen make intensive
> text creation impossible.

so what?

tablets are not designed for that use case.

it's like having a fancy slr camera with a bunch of lenses versus a
compact point&shoot.

you can get lens adapters for the point&shoot and various other
accessories, and some point&shoots even look like mini-slrs, but it
will never be an slr.

sometimes an slr is required, other times it's overkill, and for a lot
of things, it won't matter one way or the other.

two different cameras for two different use cases, with some overlap.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 03:41:45 -0400, nospam wrote:

> tablets are not designed for that use case.

Which is what I said from the beginning!

[nospam]

In article <lvbb32$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > both word and excel exist on the ipad.
>
> You seriously need help if you really believe that is
> any answer to the problem of text creation sans keyboard
> and sans any decent sized screen.

plenty of people use word and excel on the ipad for a wide variety of
purposes.

> And if you're going to *add* a monitor and keyboard, then,
> you're seriously going to have to consider why an iPad
> when an equally priced laptop to the Rube Goldberg
> arrangement you propose.

add a monitor now? wtf for?

you're grasping.

> Neither solution makes any sense to someone who is thinking
> logically.

if only you would do that.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 03:41:32 -0400, nospam wrote:

> plenty of people use word and excel on the ipad for a wide variety of
> purposes.

Plenty of people use two fingers to type also.
That doesn't make it efficient.
It can't be efficient.
It has nothing to do with iOS.

It is the same with all tablets.

1. The screen is tiny.
2. Half is taken up by the software keyboard.
3. You can never do 10-finger typing on that software keyboard.

[nospam]

In article <lvbhm1$h21$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:


> 3. You can never do 10-finger typing on that software keyboard.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbnvRqjVLDM>

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbhm1$h21$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> Plenty of people use two fingers to type also.
> That doesn't make it efficient.
> It can't be efficient.

I've met people who type with two fingers faster than the average touch
typist can type. Two-finger typing is not inherently inefficient.

> 1. The screen is tiny.

That is matter of opinion.

> 2. Half is taken up by the software keyboard.

That is just plain wrong.

> 3. You can never do 10-finger typing on that software keyboard.

That is irrelevant.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:15:58 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> I've met people who type with two fingers faster than the average touch
> typist can type. Two-finger typing is not inherently inefficient.

You're utterly crazy if you really believe that you can type at
something like 80wpm with just two fingers on an iPad software
keyboard without once looking at the iPad.

I type *all* these responses without looking at the keyboard,
for example, and I type at something like 30 to 40 wpm on a
real keyboard.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvc587$3vq$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > I've met people who type with two fingers faster than the average touch
> > typist can type. Two-finger typing is not inherently inefficient.
>
> You're utterly crazy if you really believe that you can type at
> something like 80wpm with just two fingers on an iPad software
> keyboard without once looking at the iPad.

You are utterly crazy if you really believe that the average touch
typist can type 80 WPM.

> I type *all* these responses without looking at the keyboard,
> for example, and I type at something like 30 to 40 wpm on a
> real keyboard.

So you don't look at the keyboard, whoop de doo!

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbb32$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> Neither solution makes any sense to someone who is thinking
> logically.

Considering that your premises are faulty (i.e., the screen is tiny and
the on-screen keyboard takes up half the screen's real estate), your
logic leads you to an erroneous conclusion.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:12:02 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> Considering that your premises are faulty (i.e., the screen is tiny and
> the on-screen keyboard takes up half the screen's real estate), your
> logic leads you to an erroneous conclusion.

Let's have a contest.

Find someone (like I am) who can type at something like 30 to 40 wpm
and then have them use an iPad to type WITHOUT looking at the keyboard
(which is the only way to type efficiently).

Then measure the two for speed and accuracy.

If you think the two-finger typist will win against a bona-fide
keyboard, then you're actually (insert strange word here).

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvc5bu$3vq$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > Considering that your premises are faulty (i.e., the screen is tiny and
> > the on-screen keyboard takes up half the screen's real estate), your
> > logic leads you to an erroneous conclusion.
>
> Let's have a contest.
>
> Find someone (like I am) who can type at something like 30 to 40 wpm
> and then have them use an iPad to type WITHOUT looking at the keyboard
> (which is the only way to type efficiently).

How about finding someone who is experienced typing on the iPad instead
of your rigged parameters?

Looking at the keyboard doesn't make it inefficient. Back in the days
when the majority of people who regularly used a typewriter were
transcribing from written pages, looking at the keyboard or the paper
in the typewriter was inefficient. Nowadays people are composing on
the computer or tablet, so looking at the screen or keyboard is not
inefficient.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 00:57:23 -0400, nospam wrote:

> plenty of examples were given.

Only three made any sense, and two of them I had already
stated worked well on an iPad.

What is an iPad good for over a laptop?
1. Stargazing (sucky iPad wifi needs to be taken into account)
2. GPS routing (assuming you have cellular capabilities)
3. Watching movies (for passive activities, nothing is better!)

Pretty much, that is all that has been proposed that makes
any sense, to me (since I already have a functional laptop).

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 03:41:35 -0400, nospam wrote:

> the wifi is not sucky and wifi is not needed anyway for star gazing.

WiFi is not needed for star gazing unless the app needs it.
The wifi is still sucky and nothing you can say will make it not sucky.
You obviously have never compared it to a comparable device.

[nospam]

In article <lvbhiq$h21$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > the wifi is not sucky and wifi is not needed anyway for star gazing.
>
> WiFi is not needed for star gazing unless the app needs it.
> The wifi is still sucky and nothing you can say will make it not sucky.
> You obviously have never compared it to a comparable device.

i've compared it to quite a few. it's not sucky.

yours is either defective, your base station has something wrong or is
misconfigured, or you're lying.

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvbhiq$h21$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> The wifi is still sucky and nothing you can say will make it not sucky.

And nothing you can say will make it sucky.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:18:06 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:

> And nothing you can say will make it sucky.

Here's what I'll do today for you.
I will go *back* to the Apple store.
I will turn on my recorder on my phone, and stick that
phone in my shirt pocket.
I will tell the blue shirts that the wifi is sucky.
I will *record* what they say.
I will *post* that recording.

Then we shall see what the blue shirts have to say
when someone tells them that the iPad wifi is sucky
(which it is).

[Michelle Steiner]

In article <lvc5q1$3vq$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:18:06 -0700, Michelle Steiner wrote:
>
> > And nothing you can say will make it sucky.
>
> Here's what I'll do today for you.
> I will go *back* to the Apple store.
> I will turn on my recorder on my phone, and stick that
> phone in my shirt pocket.
> I will tell the blue shirts that the wifi is sucky.
> I will *record* what they say.
> I will *post* that recording.
>
> Then we shall see what the blue shirts have to say
> when someone tells them that the iPad wifi is sucky
> (which it is).

I'll accept only an unedited video.

[Patty Winter]

In article <lvbbae$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>,
Juan Camilo Blanco <***@adobe.com> wrote:
>
>What is an iPad good for over a laptop?
>1. Stargazing (sucky iPad wifi needs to be taken into account)
>2. GPS routing (assuming you have cellular capabilities)

You don't need cellular data unless you want real-time traffic
or some such. GPS routing itself needs no real-time connection.


Patty

[Erilar]

Juan Camilo Blanco <***@adobe.com> wrote:
>
>
> If I'm going to add a bluetooth keyboard, and not even get the benefit
> of a mouse, I'm not going to even try to turn an iPad into a laptop,
> because it's futile.
>
I bought a Bluetooth keyboard/hard cover combination(Zaggmate) for my old
iPad. They are available in other sizes. It doesn't fit the new one as a
cover(slightly different shape, which is why the old one did NOT fit my
inside purse pocket), but still works just as well as a keyboard, and I've
taken it along on a trip, packed with my clothing, when I expected to do
quite a bit of typing. MUCH lighter than a laptop!

And, while this may not be a eay you'd use it, it's a great way to carry a
lot of sheet music and fits a normal music stand, which no laptop will.


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

[xfile]

On 9/17/2014 12:11 AM, Juan Camilo Blanco wrote:
> I've had the iPad for about half a year, and, now the novelty
> of the thing has long worn off ... what else can I do with it?
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Specifically, is there something useful that I missed below,
> that *you* do, on your iPad, which is not keyboard/mouse
> intensive, that I missed looking at?
>
> Currently, I don't use the iPad Air all that much, as I have
> a high-end smartphone and a high-end laptop that goes with me
> everywhere anyway.
>
> The kids play games on the iPad (e.g., I hear dumb-ways-to-die
> songs all the time when it's in their hands); but I pretty much
> haven't found a good practical use for it yet.
>
> The iPad *has* replaced my Garmin GPS, while driving in unfamiliar
> territory, but the lack of a second charging cable means I
> generally don't use the iPad for GPS except for long trips where
> I have to manually disconnect the home charger setup to bring
> the non-standard cable along as a separate line item, which I
> don't always remember to do. I don't want yet another cable in
> my glovebox, so, it is a hindrance that it uses a cable that none
> of my other equipment takes.
>
> But, the battery lasts for hours, so, even without the cable,
> about the only thing it's great (nay, fantastic) for, is GPS.
>
> The iPad is far too klunky for pictures or video (besides, I
> have "real" cameras which do a far better job anyway).
>
> I don't SMS text, and I don't do any social networking.
> I simply read & respond to my mail, and, for that, I only use
> the laptop. In a dire emergency, I'll use the phone, but
> 99.99% of my mail can wait until I am seated at a desk
> with a real keyboard in front of me, instead of the nearly
> useless software keyboard that the iPad has.
>
> Looking at my apps on the iPad, there's nothing I don't
> already have on my cellphone, other than the Apple-specific
> apps such as "Messages" or "Facetime", neither of which have
> I ever used.
>
> Once in a while, I forget where my phone is, and I use the
> iPad to call the phone, using Hangouts/GoogleVoice, so, that's
> one nice use (it's an extra free speakerphone), but I have
> so many phone lines already, I don't see how adding one
> more is all that useful.
>
> I don't do calendaring (I'm retired), and I don't travel all
> that much, and if I'm going to browse the web, I'm not going
> to do it with a one-finger-tap software keyboard anyway, nor
> do I like (or use) Safari, so, the browsing, for me, is fine
> on my laptop with Firefox and a real keyboard.
>
> Of course, I could *add* a bluetooth keyboard to the iPad,
> but, that still leaves me with the sucky browsers and far
> smaller screen than my laptop anyway, so, unless the iPad
> does *something* the laptop can't do, anything that involves
> typing is onerous on the iPad.
>
> Certainly nobody in their right mind would *compose* documents
> on an iPad if they had a laptop right next to them. I could
> see people doing all sorts of things on the iPad if they
> did *not* have a perfectly good laptop next to them, so,
> all this is in the context of what does it do that a laptop
> doesn't do.
>
> I tried using it in the treehouse a few hundred feet behind the
> house, but the iPad wifi was so sucky compared to the laptop
> and phone that I gave up. I can't believe the wifi is so
> weak but it's so sucky that it just about makes the thing
> useless as a wifi device in the "man cave" in the woods.
>
> I don't play games, and I don' listen to music (never have, even
> in my younger days), so I never use the app store except to
> download apps, which I've done. I did try dash cams, but the
> problem was the mounting in a vehicle, so, I gave up on that
> in favor of a bona-fide $35 permanently powered dashcam fed
> with a 32GB microsd card, which loops as long as it likes
> (unlike most of the dashcam apps that I had tested out).
>
> I have Keynote, Numbers, Pages, PowerPoint, Excel, Word,
> and Paper on the thing, but, I have MS Office on my laptop,
> so, there's no advantage to the iPad (in fact, the need for
> a separate keyboard is a distinct disadvantage in that regard).
>
> The kids watch videos, so, that's nice as the iPad became the
> portable DVD player for the kids whenever they're not playing
> games on it, so, that's a *very nice* capability of the iPad.
>
> I have iMovie, but now, the need for both a kludgey separate
> bluetooth keyboard and separate mouse negates any real value
> any application on the iPad has over the laptop, which is
> vastly more powerful, perfectly sized screen, perfectly sized
> keyboard, nice pointer (once you get used to it), and is,
> really, the best of all worlds when the need is to *create*
> something text or mouse intensive.
>
> Once in a while I use the iPad for the voice recording feature,
> but, again, both the laptop and the phone can do that, so it's
> nothing special.
>
> Overall, I'm pretty bored with this iPad. It didn't turn out to
> be as useful as I had thought it might be. It's a great GPS,
> and it's just as great as a video player and game platform for
> the kids.
>
> But, it's lackluster at just about everything else, as far as
> I can see.
>
> Is there something useful that I missed, that *you* do, on your
> iPad, which is not keyboard/mouse intensive, that I missed?
>

Two user cases,

A simple one: Since my mother-in-law got an iPad (last generation), she
has been sending messages and emails to us and to her other friends and
relatives around the world (she is living in France). And she also uses
it for watching online videos (approved sites), news, and so on. We
have previously given her a notebook, netbook, ultrabook (of all form
factors) but she just hated computers.

As for myself, I use desktop computer, workstation notebook, iPad, and
iPhone, and at this time, I do not think any of them can be so-called
one-for-all though I spent less time on computers (desktop and notebook)
and it’s because my work at this stage of life.

I don’t have to do “heavy duty” work now, by that, I mean to write
lengthy and complicated documents linking data to other sources, or
complicated spreadsheets for budget planning and financial forecasting,
professional grade multimedia work, and web development involving
database integration and so on and so forth.

If I have to be involved in any kind of the above “heavy duty” work, I
will use high-end desktop computers or carry a full-fetched workstation
notebook on the road. No question at all.

So what’s the use of an iPad and an iPhone? They both keep me informed
and provide me a means for quick and short responses and accomplish
personal and business tasks that do not require a powerful machine (e.g.
downloading a document from a remote server so I can read it at any time
I want to even on a toilet). I can read through all those “heavy duty”
work, mostly in PDF format nowadays, and if necessary, made some
annotations. Sure it will break some formats in some cases, but it’s
not my job to worry about format now.

Again for my personal style, I don’t like to carry accessories, and most
of time, not even a wallet. So iPhone is the only thing that stays with
me most of time, and if I’m prepared to have longer responses, I will
carry an iPad. Then, a notebook or move to a desktop.

The bottom line is that not every solider is required to carry a
50-caliber machine gun to be qualified for a solider. Some’s jobs are
to stay at the command post and to oversee the battle or war, and do you
think that they are less important than combat soldiers?

The best soldiers are those who know their jobs and will choose the
right tool to accomplish the mission.

Are you a good soldier?

[dorayme]

In article <lv9nf1$aou$***@speranza.aioe.org>,
Juan Camilo Blanco <***@adobe.com> wrote:

> The iPad *has* replaced my Garmin GPS

The iPad is inferior in some ways and superior in other ways. First,
there are the charges on your account, a Garmin gets its information
direct from a satellite free (at least our Garmin is) and works even
when way out of range of a sim connection in many bush areas or when
overseas where you have no sim or limited data. The Garmin is perfect
for a car with a holder on the dash. It also gives warning of speed
cameras. And it is easy to set up to tell you where to go and turn. I
guess the iPad could be set to do similar, I don't know.

However, the iPad is great for estimating distances and times and
accommodation when on the road.

On recent extensive trips, I have used both to great effect.

--
dorayme

[nospam]

In article <do_ray_me-***@aioe.org>, dorayme
<***@bigpond.com> wrote:

> > The iPad *has* replaced my Garmin GPS
>
> The iPad is inferior in some ways and superior in other ways. First,
> there are the charges on your account, a Garmin gets its information
> direct from a satellite free (at least our Garmin is) and works even
> when way out of range of a sim connection in many bush areas or when
> overseas where you have no sim or limited data. The Garmin is perfect
> for a car with a holder on the dash. It also gives warning of speed
> cameras. And it is easy to set up to tell you where to go and turn. I
> guess the iPad could be set to do similar, I don't know.

there are gps apps that do not require a data connection.

[dorayme]

In article <170920140143037877%***@nospam.invalid>,
nospam <***@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> there are gps apps that do not require a data connection.

So there are. Thanks for mentioning this. A mini iPad with such an app
would be a great portable to go tripping and walking with.

--
dorayme

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 01:43:03 -0400, nospam wrote:

> there are gps apps that do not require a data connection.

This is true.
Most map apps download their maps to the device, so, they
can route and locate without any need for cellular data.

Even Google Maps will do rudimentary GPS location, on an
offline map, without a data connection.

But, with cellular data totally free in the USA, I find
there is less and less a need for the offline map apps.

[Patty Winter]

In article <lvbc69$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>,
Juan Camilo Blanco <***@adobe.com> wrote:
>
>But, with cellular data totally free in the USA, I find
>there is less and less a need for the offline map apps.

Say what? Where are you getting cellular data "totally free"?
Thanks to a mention on this newsgroup (or one of the other iOS
groups), I now have 200MB of data per month free from T-Mobile,
but that isn't enough to download a bunch of maps or do much
else. I used up most of this month's allotment just in an hour
or so of geocaching the other day.


Patty

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 16:15:07 +1000, dorayme wrote:

> So there are. Thanks for mentioning this. A mini iPad with such an app
> would be a great portable to go tripping and walking with.

Here's what I consider the perfect solution for that (in the US).

1. Buy an iPad with the T-Mobile cellular SIM.
2. Call T-Mobile to get their free cellular data, for life.
3. OPTIONAL: Download the desired Google Maps to your iPad mini.

That's pretty much all you need to do in order to have free, fast,
online/offline GPS routing/location on your iPad, for life.

[Patty Winter]

In article <do_ray_me-***@aioe.org>,
dorayme <***@bigpond.com> wrote:
>In article <lv9nf1$aou$***@speranza.aioe.org>,
> Juan Camilo Blanco <***@adobe.com> wrote:
>
>> The iPad *has* replaced my Garmin GPS
>
>The iPad is inferior in some ways and superior in other ways. First,
>there are the charges on your account, a Garmin gets its information
>direct from a satellite free (at least our Garmin is) and works even
>when way out of range of a sim connection in many bush areas or when
>overseas where you have no sim or limited data. The Garmin is perfect
>for a car with a holder on the dash. It also gives warning of speed
>cameras. And it is easy to set up to tell you where to go and turn. I
>guess the iPad could be set to do similar, I don't know.

You must be talking about a Garmin Nuvi or a similar model, because
my eTrex certainly doesn't do all that. In any event, there is no
cost involved in receiving location data from GPS satellites, whether
you're using a Garmin or an iPad, and no need for extra hardware such
as a SIM card. Perhaps you're talking about traffic reports or some
other feature not provided by the Navstar satellites, but instead by
companies such as Garmin via a cellular or Wi-Fi connection?


>However, the iPad is great for estimating distances and times and
>accommodation when on the road.

And for routing to an unfamiliar destination.


Patty

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:47:54 +1000, dorayme wrote:

> The coolest fact of the matter is how it is light and portable
> and that so much can be done quickly on it without getting one's sorry
> ass out of the chair or bed.

I do agree that the size makes a great difference in the car.

It's big enough to see, but small enough to be in the car
with you in the first place.

Long (long) ago, we put laptops on our lap while driving!

[Savageduck]

On 2014-09-17 07:00:36 +0000, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> said:

> On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:47:54 +1000, dorayme wrote:
>
>> The coolest fact of the matter is how it is light and portable
>> and that so much can be done quickly on it without getting one's sorry
>> ass out of the chair or bed.
>
> I do agree that the size makes a great difference in the car.
>
> It's big enough to see, but small enough to be in the car
> with you in the first place.
>
> Long (long) ago, we put laptops on our lap while driving!

What do you mean we?
Were you actually that stupid and irresponsible?

I suppose you would like to mount your iPad on the steering wheel hub?

--
Regards,

Savageduck

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 07:03:48 -0700, Savageduck wrote:

> I suppose you would like to mount your iPad on the steering wheel hub?

That would be a bad idea since my steering wheel has an airbag.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:47:54 +1000, dorayme wrote:

> It's not a bad portable video telephone either!

The Google Voice + Google Hangouts combination turns the
cellular-equipped iPad into a free speakerphone with
unlimited calls within the USA, where even the SIM card
is totally free.

So that's a very nice feature of the iPad which you won't
find on the laptop.

The only reason I didn't highlight that speakerphone
feature was that I have plenty of phones, so, while it's
a very nice feature of the iPad, it's not something that
adds any value to me.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:34:14 +1000, dorayme wrote:

> The iPad is inferior in some ways and superior in other ways. First,
> there are the charges on your account, a Garmin gets its information
> direct from a satellite free (at least our Garmin is) and works even
> when way out of range of a sim connection in many bush areas or when
> overseas where you have no sim or limited data.

It doesn't cost me a penny to use the iPad as a GPS routing device.

1. The SIM card & cellular service is totally free
2. The map program (Google Maps) is totally free
3. And, to keep it fast, I download the maps offline while on WiFi
4. Best of all, I get traffic, totally for free (via Google Maps).

If there are *any* charges to my account, you should tell me because
I have been using the iPad as my Garmin replacement for months.

[Juan Camilo Blanco]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:34:14 +1000, dorayme wrote:

> The Garmin is perfect for a car with a holder on the dash.
> It also gives warning of speed cameras.

On my Android phone, I have apps which give warning for speed
cameras, and which will warn me whenever I exceed the speed
limit.

Since I use Google Maps on the iPad, I don't know if those
apps exist, but I would suspect they do, since the app
selection is similar between the two devices.

However, I will agree that the smaller form factor and
included mounting equipment on the Garmin make its
attachment to the windshield or dashboard much easier.

My main complaint is that my Garmin mounts constantly break.

[nospam]

In article <lvbc27$ues$***@speranza.aioe.org>, Juan Camilo Blanco
<***@adobe.com> wrote:

> > The Garmin is perfect for a car with a holder on the dash.
> > It also gives warning of speed cameras.
>
> On my Android phone, I have apps which give warning for speed
> cameras, and which will warn me whenever I exceed the speed
> limit.

those exist for ios too.

> Since I use Google Maps on the iPad, I don't know if those
> apps exist, but I would suspect they do, since the app
> selection is similar between the two devices.
>
> However, I will agree that the smaller form factor and
> included mounting equipment on the Garmin make its
> attachment to the windshield or dashboard much easier.
>
> My main complaint is that my Garmin mounts constantly break.

you must have cheaped out on the mounts. i have a couple of garmin
mounts and they're great.